[peterfirefly]

> In return we've started granting them dual citizenship that has been their gate to the EU.

Not the best way to say "thank you" to the European Union -- not only do we have to suffer your Gypsies, we also get your Moldovans :(

(Don't put all the blame on the Soviets, the Ottomans didn't treat you so well, either.)

[bad_user]

Funny, you don't seem to complain about the invasion of our engineers, software developers or doctors :-)

Also, we don't need to "thank you" dude, as the EU is not a charity, but a mutually beneficial arrangement. If it's not mutually beneficial, then we can negotiate, but don't give me this condescending attitude and we really don't have to apologize for giving citizenship to Moldavians or for having a gypsy minority. This is who we've always been and speaking of gipsies, we've been lectured for years in how we aren't doing a good job of integrating them in society. Well, here's your chance.

> (Don't put all the blame on the Soviets, the Ottomans didn't treat you so well, either.)

Yeah, no shit, we were amongst the ones that engaged the Ottomans in battle, helping in preventing their expansion into Europe. In 1475 for example our own Stephen the Great delivered what is said to be the greatest defeat of the ottomans until that time. He was then denied European assistance, yet he kept waging war until 1484. He was a Moldavian ;-)

[peterfirefly]

I absolutely do apologize for the condescending attitude coming from Western Europe regarding the "oppressed gypsies" who were "totally good people who just never got a chance". It was wrong. They were and are more like parasites on better functioning peoples.

I was myself only briefly one of those Gutmenschen until I got hold of better data (which I actively sought and which were contradictory to everything I was taught in University).

On the other hand, this is pretty plonk-worthy:

> but don't give me this condescending attitude

and, yes, you probably should apologize for letting random Moldavians into the Schengen area.

All of the states in the Holy Roman Empire did pay extra taxes to pay for wars against the Ottomans a few decades later.

[bad_user]

We aren't in the Schengen area, that's a different treaty. And we aren't letting in random Moldavians. Applying for citizenship still implies submitting an application for review, which includes things like a criminal record, birth certificates from parents and from grandparents as proof that they were Romanians, plus proof of legal residence in Romania for 48 months. The process is for "regaining citizenship", being easier than the full process. And no, we shouldn't apologize, our relationship with them is no secret, some of us also want the unification.